Never Accept No From Somebody Who Can’t Say Yes

Never Accept No From Somebody Who Can’t Say Yes

April 06, 2016

When Birchbox launched in 2010 it was a new and original idea for the beauty industry. It came at a time when beauty brands were trying to sell more products online but faced difficulty as customers like to try beauty products before buying. So when Birchbox came along, it solved a problem for them. Beauty subscription boxes are widely available now so it’s easy to see the benefits but back then, there was nothing like Birchbox so the two founders, Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp, really had to sell their vision in order to secure brand partnerships.

With no beauty background, Barna and Beauchamp, had to first see if beauty brands would work with them. Instead of thinking of clever ways to get their attention, they kept their approach really simple. Cold emailing. They sent cold emails to presidents and CEOs of large beauty brands and never accepted no from somebody who can’t say yes. They knew that as their idea could revolutionize the multi-billion dollar beauty industry, they needed to pitch to someone who could make a decision. If someone else relays a pitch, they may not deliver it with the same clarity and enthusiasm. By cold emailing and attached a one pager about their idea and what they wanted from them, they managed to secure meetings with leaders of some of the biggest beauty brands. Barna and Beauchamp listened to the concerns brands had. At the beginning they requested a small amount of samples to begin testing but now brands have to plan months in advance to meet the growing number of Birchbox subscribers. It all began with a cold email but it’s important to send that email to the right person #entrepreneur #birchbox #brand #success #beauty



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